Survey claims staff cuts hitting cardiac care (Ireland)

Research by two leading groups in cardiac care claims that staff cuts are creating serious problems for patients and the battle against heart disease. The Irish Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation and the Irish Heart Foundation surveyed the 36 hospitals providing cardiac rehab. The results say that staffing cuts meant that none of these hospitals had all the expertise required to provide the life-saving services. More than 1,800 patients - including many with life threatening conditions - are on a waiting list of up to six months for cardiac rehab. The research showed that over half were missing at least four of the ten team members needed to deliver proper cardiac rehab services. "This survey exposes the impact of sustained cutbacks in cardiac rehabilitation and how these now threaten its long-term viability," said IACR President, Dr Charles McCreery. "Cardiac rehab is vital to thousands of patients coping with the physical and psychological impacts of heart attacks and heart surgery. But it is being treated almost like an optional service and that needs to change," he added. A full team includes a medical director, rehab coordinator, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nursing, social worker, psychologist, pharmacist, dietitian plus administrative support. The survey says that 27 cardiac rehab units have no access to psychology and 29 have no medical social worker

"HeartPhone" is announced as 2010 Product Innovation Award winner the annual Aramark Healthcare Innovation Awards

HeartPhone, a pioneering connected healthcare solution that measures, monitors and manages the weight of congestive heart failure patients in their own homes was awarded the coveted "Product Innovation Award" at the Aramark Healthcare innovation awards over the weekend. The accolade recognizes HeartPhone as an exemplary innovative healthcare solution for 2010. HeartPhone, a system devised to help CHF patients actively participate in managing their own condition accurately, is being developed at NDRC (National Digital Research Centre) as a collaboration between Dr Mark Ledwidge and Professor Ken McDonald of St Vincent's University Hospital and Crofton Cardiac Systems, BiancaMed Ltd, NDRC and UCD (University College Dublin)

Anyone of any age can have a heart attack (Ireland)

Virginia Teehan, University College Cork archivist, talks to the Irish Times about her heart attack, medication, blood pressure, subsequent care, return to work, and says - "My experience has also taught me that both the medical profession and the public need more education on cardiac issues. Cardiovascular disease remains the single leading cause of death in the world. Cardiologists acknowledge that they know more about men's hearts than women's hearts. It's important for everyone to realise that women often have smaller hearts and the way they experience a heart attack can be completely different (for example, they may not get a pain radiating down their arm or may not register severe pain as quickly as men). People should also be aware that cardiac events can be caused by a number of conditions and not all heart attacks are the results of blocked arteries or veins. We need to be reminded that anyone of any age can have a heart attack for a variety of reasons and that if you have severe symptoms, the most important thing is to get to a hospital fast. Getting to a hospital within an hour of my first symptoms is what saved my life"

17 million Euro boost for cardiac renal unit (Ireland)

A 17 million Euro funding allocation by the Health Service Executive (HSE) which will allow the equipping and phased opening next year of a new 151-bed cardiac renal facility at Cork University Hospital (CUH) has been warmly welcomed by both hospital management and medical staff. CUH general manager, Tony McNamara, told The Irish Times that confirmation of the 17 million Euro funding was particularly welcome given the current economic climate as it would have a major impact on the quality of service to both renal and cardiac patients. "This is a huge achievement in the current economic climate - it will enable us to look at the phased opening of the centre, starting initially with the transfer of renal services which are already located on the CUH campus," according to Mr McNamara. "The new centre will have a total of 35 haemodialysis stations, including 30 for routine dialysis, three for high dependency patients and two for isolation patients - that's up from the current number of 22 and one isolation unit"

Pilot has heart attack (Ireland)

"An Italian aircraft has made a safe landing at Shannon airport in Ireland despite the pilot suffering a suspected heart attack. The Alitalia aircraft was carrying 179 passengers and crew and was forced to make an emergency landing as it flew from Milan to New York. The Boeing 767 plane transmitted a distress call to Shannon Air Traffic Control when it was about 30 degrees west of the airport over the North Atlantic. Emergency services from Shannon, Ennis and Limerick were standing by at when the plane landed shortly after 5pm. An airport spokeswoman said the plane landed safely" - Yahoo

9th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing

9th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing - 24-25 April - Dublin, Ireland

How to spot the signs of heart disease in women

"The death rate from heart disease among women in Ireland is higher than in most other European countries. One of the contributing factors may be the failure to recognise the symptoms of a heart attack in female patients who seek help in our hospital emergency departments. This is because they may have what are known as a "atypical symptoms" which leave doctors and paramedics confused. In a bid to reduce the chances of women with heart disease being misdiagnosed doctors in all hospital A&Es have now been issued with guidelines to help them spot the signs of heart attack in women and administer the correct treatment. The document was jointly produced by the Women's Health Council and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, the organisation representing A&E specialists. It points out there is a "false perception" that heart disease is a predominantly male condition. Yet it is more likely to kill women than breast cancer." - Independent.ie

Family make plea for heart donors

"The family of a 16-year-old Dublin, Ireland, student who is being kept alive on a mechanical heart machine at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital have made a special plea for heart donors to save her life. Kiva Humphries from Deansgrange in south Dublin contracted an infection last February which seriously damaged her heart muscles. She is the only person in the country on a mechanical heart machine and after over 250 days doctors say time is running out for a life-saving heart transplant" - RTE News

New clinic a 'sudden death' lifesaver

"A new clinic is expected to screen at least 1,600 young patients from around the country annually to reduce the tragic toll from sudden cardiac death. The clinic, in Tallaght Hospital, Ireland, which was officially opened yesterday, will test the relatives of some of the 5,000 people a year who die of sudden cardiac death to determine if they are also at risk. Between 60pc to 80pc of the deaths are in people under the age of 35. One high-profile case was the death of former Tyrone captain Cormac McAnallen, who was in his early 20s when he died. Irish rugby international Leo Cullen was at yesterday's launch, along with his brother Owen, who plays rugby for Blackrock, and their mother Paula. They were highlighting the need to screen the entire family if one member is diagnosed as being at risk" - Independent.ie

Cardiologist fears (Irish) rehabilitation projects may be target of cutbacks

"There is a risk that cardiac rehabilitation, despite contributing to a major reduction in heart disease in the Irish Republic, may fall victim to financial cutbacks, a leading heart specialist has said. Dr Vincent Maher, president of the Irish Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation and consultant cardiologist at the Adelaide, Meath and National Childrens hospital, Tallaght, said the rehabilitation of patients after heart attack or bypass surgery was one of the great successes of the national cardiovascular strategy. 'However, my fear is that this important initiative will be considered less important than emergency care as health service finances come under pressure,' he told The Irish Times"

Irish Heart Week 2008

Irish Heart Week September 22-28 2008 - If you are over 50, be proactive about your blood pressure for Irish Heart Week and get it checked with your doctor. As we get older our risk of having high blood pressure increases. A recent Irish survey showed that:
* 34% of men and women had high blood pressure but were not on medication to control it.
* 18% were on medication but their blood pressure was still high.
* Only 40% of Irish men and women over the age of 45 had normal blood pressure levels

Irish patients have heart valves replaced without open surgery

"In a major breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease in the Republic of Ireland, for the first time a patient here has had a heart valve replaced without the need for open-heart surgery. Two patients in their 80s had replacement aortic valves placed inside their hearts using a new form of keyhole surgery. The groundbreaking procedures, each of which took two hours to perform, were carried out at the Blackrock Clinic, Dublin, last Wednesday" - Irish Times

Study shows 70% of sudden cardiac deaths in rural Ireland occur at home

"The first study to document the prevalence of sudden cardiac death in the Republic has found that 70 per cent of SCDs in rural Ireland occur in the home. Some three-quarters of sudden deaths were due to coronary artery disease, with just 6 per cent of patients surviving long enough to be admitted to hospital" - Irishtimes.com